May 06 2020 30 mins 1
Oliver Spencer the brand is the vision of Oliver Spencer the man. Self-taught tailor and shopkeeper, his eye is the starting point of everything they do. Frustrated by the limitations of art school and impatient to strike out alone, Oliver abandoned studenthood in favour of a stall at Portobello Market. Working that market stall ingrained his enduring love of garment and cloth — shop and shopkeeping. Having spent the previous decade creating and expanding formalwear brand Favourbrook, he wanted to create something new: a range of clothing with all the quality and craft of premium tailoring, but with a relaxed modern style. The philosophy? Quality needn't mean formality; casual needn't mean careless. That philosophy found plenty of adherents, and from a single shop on London's Lambs Conduit Street, Oliver Spencer has gone on to open several more shops, and an international online business — as well as being stocked in many of the world's leading department stores, from Harvey Nichols to Liberty of London to Mr Porter. Alongside his distinctive design style, he is uncompromising in the standards he sets for production and provenance. That means the company seeks out the finest fabrics and yarns from artisan British and Italian mills, making every garment in only the best European factories and workshops. In this episode of the MenswearStyle Podcast we speak to Menswear Designer Oliver Spencer whilst he is working from home in self-isolation on the Isle of Wight. Our host Peter Brooker asks him about his background and how he first came to start his eponymous menswear brand. Championing British cloth such as linen from Northern Ireland, Oliver discusses the best places to manufacture men's garments, with a focus of reducing overall footprint. They also discuss the current climate of operating during the Coronavirus pandemic and the struggle that shop owners are currently facing. As a bonus, we're then joined by the head of sustainability, Bleue Wickham-Burnham, who educates us about sustainability and what Oliver Spencer is doing to become a more sustainable menswear brand. Whilst we have your attention, be sure to sign up to our daily MenswearStyle newsletter here. We promise to only send you the good stuff.
